Nathan Earl
Nathan Earl is a painter who lives at Florist Primaeval in Savannah, Georgia. Overview Nathan Earl was an aspiring, not-so-young-anymore artist in Savannah, struggling to make his mark with his painting. A lifetime’s dedication finally resulted in favorable reviews in the fall of 1986; the tragedy of it was that the works had all been painted years earlier. What everyone heralded as a bold new mode of expression for him was, in fact, something he had already lost. Still, some acclaim was better than none, and he reveled in it. Then she appeared: Una Laurence. Nathan had never seen so enchanting a woman before in his life; he was instantly smitten. She praised his work, as had many others, but it seemed that she possessed some understanding of what it all meant, as if she shared and appreciated his vision. She almost rekindled it within him; he spoke of his works as if they were recent, and she listened attentively. As the gallery was closing, he worked up the nerve to ask her out for coffee. To his great delight, she agreed. This was to be the first of many similar outings. The more time he spent around Una, the easier it became to forget his recent failures. Nathan began to convince himself that his talent had never really left him. Una’s praise and attention made it all the easier. The relationship moved in a familiar direction; Nathan had been quite a popular catch when he was younger, and knew what to say at all the right moments. She appealed to his vanity, and he loved her for it. The night she invited him to her home, he thought he knew what to expect. The garden stunned him; it spoke of diligent care, and more importantly, of wealth. Finally, he thought, things had turned around for him. In such surroundings, and under Una’s loving care, he felt he could create again. Then the world changed. After drinking Una’s special tea, Nathan was dazed. The world became at once beautiful and unfamiliar; even something so simple as a blade of grass practically vibrated with hidden, magical meaning. Una had become a creature of indescribable beauty, and her garden a terrible, wonderful Eden. He was speechless, and could only listen as she explained things to him. That she, and her home, were of the fae made perfect sense. Nothing else could explain what he had seen. When invited to stay with her, he could not refuse. At first, it was a sensual bliss. Una was generous and warm, and Nathan never tires of the mysterious world he was now a part of. However, it soon became clear that he was unable to create. It was as if the wonders he had seen had robbed him of inspiration; how could he compete with such beauty? Una kept asking to see his works, and he continually refused her. He wanted to keep his failure to himself. He was afraid it was his art she was attracted to, and once she realized that it was gone, she would lose all interest in him. When he found her in his studio, disillusionment plain on her face, the dam of resentment burst. He accused her of every wrong he could imagine, and blamed her for the loss of his art. To his great surprise, she offered no word in her own defense. Enraged, he stalked away. He waited for her to demand that he leave, yet the days became weeks, and the weeks months. Eventually it became clear the he was free to stay. Ironically, this acceptance of his behavior only caused the bitterness to grow. Currently he lives in what was once his studio, and avoids Una as much as possible. Image Nathan’s natural, golden-boy good looks are beginning to fade. Though he is still attractive, his age is beginning to show in the lines around his brown eyes and the furrows in his brow. His brown hair is slightly unkempt, and in a style several years out of date. Despite his attempts to keep it at bay, middle age is beginning to take a firm hold. Personal Nathan is a very bitter man. He feels that Una robbed him of the only thing he ever truly valued: his artistic vision. Secretly he knows that it was lost years before, but he would rather die than admit that, even to himself. Fear of old age is all that seems to keep him in the freehold. In truth, he is hoping that someone, someday, will confront him with the wreck he has become and hold him accountable for his wrongs against Una. Until that happens, his self-loathing manifests as bitterness and jealousy. References # CTD. Freeholds & Hidden Glens, pp. 84-85. Category:Mortal (WOD) Category:Enchanted (CTD)